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Excerpt From The Last World: Cp Bialois

As promised, here’s the exclusive excerpt from Cp’s latest novel, The Last World:

With the field appearing the same no matter where he looked, he was about to call it quits and walk to town when he tripped. Letting out a startled cry, Franklin landed on his hands and knees. The scraping sounds of the grass combined with its semi-smooth texture were the only sensations he noticed. Not a single bird or animal made its presence known.

Of course not, you idiot! He pushed himself onto his knees. There weren’t any birds close to him and he thought it was weird that he focused on such a thing. He remembered reading somewhere that the brain did strange things sometimes. Aside from thinking odd thoughts, he was also curious as to what he tripped over. While his knowledge of farming — and country life in general — was wanting, he did know the feeling of something solid. He was sure it wasn’t a rock of some kind. Whatever tripped him wasn’t too heavy or fixed into the ground. More curious than angry, Franklin worked to regain his footing. The odd angle he landed at was due more to the textile strength of the crops than his own physical design. His struggle reminded him of a waterbed for as much as he tried, he couldn’t separate himself from the crops as they followed his vertical efforts.

“Everything tries to reach the sun.” It was another of his mom’s sayings she was fond of using when starting her yearly work in her garden. Those were some of the few times Franklin remembered her truly happy and at peace. He’d seen her happy many other times, but it was a different level. As good as she was to him, Franklin often wondered why she seemed to always be in a good mood while also in turmoil. His confusion on the topic lasted until his fifteenth birthday when he began to understand about his own devil and peace.

After regaining his footing, Franklin crouched over where he tripped and pushed aside the plants. It took him a few seconds to realize he’d be lucky to fall over the object a second time. No matter how many times he pawed at the grain, he only caught a brief glimpse of the ground. He began to resent throwing his tire iron into the field, but most of all he resented the fact he was there to start with. Just when he was about to lose control of his temper, he pushed aside another patch of the crop and spied what had tripped him.

“Well, I’ll be…” His voice trailed off and his temper dissipated when he saw the object. The single-bar tire iron landed with its wedge end stuck into the ground causing the angled, hexagonal end to form a perfect metallic snare. Reaching with his free hand, he grasped the cool metal and pulled it free. A smile appeared where a grimace was set a few seconds before. He began the trek back to his car whistling a tune he heard in some B-rated 70s horror film. It looked like his luck was beginning to change… now if only he could get that damn lock off his tire.

Behind him, an object streaked through the blue sky. Its grayish-silver skin kept it hidden from skyward turned eyes. Not a single sound marked its approach until it slammed into the field with a deafening thump. The impact sent a tidal wave of earth and plants hurtling from its central point. The force wave preceding the wave of dirt struck Franklin from behind, knocking him the final few feet forward and into the side of his car. The impact knocked the wind from him and a handful of pops were the last thing he heard before blackness took him. His limp form was pelted with dirt, stones, and remnants of the crops.

CP Bialois

About the author:

Where do I begin? Well first I guess it’s only fair to say that CP Bialois isn’t my real name. It’s a collaboration I made out of the three greatest pets anyone could ever want. My real name is Ed and I’m just an average person that has found a way to do what he loves.

For as long back as I can remember I loved to pretend. Whether it was with my Transformers, GI Joe, or He-Man toys I loved to create intricate plots and have them fight it out. As a fan of horror, science fiction, action, and comedy I dare say my taste in movies are well rounded. Some of my favorites were Star Wars, Star Trek, martial arts, and anything with Swarzenegger in them.

I’d write my own stories about the characters I saw in the theaters or TV or I’d just daydream about what I’d see myself as the hero of course. You can’t have a daydream without beating the bad guys, getting the girl, etc. It’s just not right to envision yourself as a flunky or sidekick.

As far as books I loved Sherlock Holmes, Treasure Island, Dracula, and the normal assortment. My early love was the Star Trek novels, I’d read them or the Hardy Boys relentlessly. For a time I could tell you the plot of over a hundred books not to mention comics.

I have to come clean and say that I learned to read because of comic books. I was bored, make that extremely bored when we started to read in school. Reading “the cat fell down” really didn’t interest me. My dad, who continues to astound me with his insight to this day, figured comics would work. With that in mind he went to the newstand in town and bought issues of Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, Tales From the Crypt, and Spider-man. He patiently read through them with me until I picked it up. Whether it was him or the comics I learned to read in about two weeks and for a while few were as good as I was. For years after that whenever we’d go out he’d always spring for a couple of comic books for me.

While it wasn’t exactly the perfect beginning everything I’ve ever read or have seen has influenced me in some way and now is the time I’d like to share some of the ideas I’ve had over the years with all of you. I hope you enjoy my stories, they’re always fun to write and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.

3 Comments on “Excerpt From The Last World: Cp Bialois”

Now that’s an excerpt! Mathair and I loved that moment of tenderness Franklin had in the recollection during this dramatic piece and the descriptive setting painted a vivid picture for us. Not to mention, the cliffhanger. Gah! Must know what happens to Franklin! LOL. Funny enough, CP, comic books is where I first found my love of reading. My uncle’s handed down there collection to me when I was very young and I’ve been reading ever since. Of course, my taste has broadened… somewhat… lol, but I always credit Stan Lee for that initial spark and Anne Rice for cementing my addiction to novels. Mathair had her start with The Hardy Boys and CS Lewis then elevated to John Grisham and Stephen King, but both of us have a love of horror and fantasy and we are so excited to delve into your novel. Great post, Shay.